I just saw a medical article recently published in 2015 about a woman who had toxic shock syndrome while wearing a menstrual cup. Scrolling through the comments below the article, there were some people mentioning they have had TSS symptoms while wearing a menstrual cup. One user specifically mentioned it was because despite boiling the cup and cleaning it out, the little suction holes still had dried blood in them which harbored the bacteria. Now I am freaking out a little bit..does anyone know anything about this? Are big brands like DivaCup, MeLuna, and Lunette advertising that cups have no association with TSS when really they're not entirely sure or may?

Nope. The girl in the original article had scratched herself around her opening because she didn't file down her talons before fiddling with the cup. Common sense would say you can't have both huge nails and hygienic practices with cup use...

I know it sounds harsh but I have exactly zero tolerance for misinformation being spread, and people blaming this girl's TSS on the cup itself is 110% misinformation. Victim blaming? Maybe. But who else is there to blame? Her manicurist?

There was already a thread on that study, if you look for it in the search side bar.

Something like 50% of TSS cases occur in menstruating women, but other victims include post-menopausal women, children and even men. So you can get TSS if you are using cups, pads, tampons, sponges, those little gel packets from shoeboxes... or even if you have no period.

I did not switch to cups for any supposed health benefits, and used tampons for over 20 years with no problem. I switched partly because my organic cotton tampons got a bit too expensive for my budget.

I'd certainly think that those bleached ones could cause allergic reactions in some people, leading to swelling, itching, irritation--and with that swelling and probably scratching the itch--abrasions that would be perfect for letting bacteria in and contributing to TSS.